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The king returned to his throne and bellowed his next words so that they reverberated off the walls of the cavernous hall.

“Stand and accept what you were born to be, my son.”

“Never.”

“Like I said, it’s not a choice.”

Carden reached toward him and clenched his hand into a fist. Braeden’s stomach tightened, as if his father had reached into his gut and squeezed. He curled over himself, stifling the agonizing yell in his throat.

The king twisted his hand and opened his palm, where sparks snapped and fizzled. Braeden’s muscles tore at the movement. Popping noises surged along his biceps and neck. His veins chilled and slowed. He unconsciously stood at a twitch of Carden’s finger. Braeden’s grip on his form was slipping. Smoke escaped his pores. Organs shifted. He screamed in pain until a heavy weight fell on his chest and closed his throat.

“Screams are for the weak,” Carden said.

The weight eased off Braeden’s lungs, letting him sink back to the floor as the internal tearing and popping stopped. The staggering numbness returned. His cuffs twisted as he moved, and searing fire coursed through his veins. Tremors pulsed through him.

Carden scowled from his chair, and the green lizard from earlier peered from the shadows beside the throne. Its outline blurred for a moment, but returned to normal so quickly that Braeden questioned what he’d seen.

It flickered again, more prominently this time.

Dark lines melted around its face. It grew taller, its skin stretching and pouring into the space around it. In a matter of seconds, the lizard filled the massive hall as it transformed into a dragon.

Braeden’s mouth went dry.

The dragon reared its head above the stunned hall and roared. The creature’s tail landed squarely on Carden’s chest, sending him flying into a support column by the main entry. The pillar crumbled on top of the king, burying him, and the dome it supported shattered. The dragon thrashed its wings against the walls by the thrones. Chunks of black marble pummeled downward, cracking the polished floor. Glass rained down on the cloaked subjects. A stampede began for the door.

A new, shriller roar echoed through the great hall, shooting chills through Braeden’s body. A red dragon with a long black stripe down its spine stood over Kara, baring its thick teeth. One dragon was bad enough, but two would be unstoppable. He tried to stand, to run, to possibly escape and at minimum find cover, but one of the spikes shifted and lodged into his bone. The pain buckled his knees.

Another patch in the ceiling crumbled. Pebbles and thick shards of painted glass showered to the floor. What yakona remained fled. Braeden grit his teeth, forced himself to his feet, and staggered to the edge of the hall.

Two thick claws engulfed him, pulling him into the air and pressing the spikes deeper into his hands with a single, deft motion. He cried out as the throbbing agony pulsed through his arms. Shimmering green scales blotted out the sky. The red dragon appeared in the air beside them, Kara tucked away in its claws.

The familiar weight of his father’s control returned on Braeden’s chest. Hatred coursed through his mind like a fever. He turned to the floor. Carden lay trapped beneath the rubble, a shredded look of fury consuming his gray face, and Braeden lost himself to the final ounces of his father’s remaining energy.

Kill the dragon, he was told. Rip it apart. Return.

He writhed, consumed by his father’s commands, but the green dragon clutched him tighter until the pain of the poisoned cuffs outweighed even his father’s will. He dangled in the dragon’s claws and watched the Stele recede from sight.

“The writing is flawless. The kingdoms and surrounding landscapes breathtaking. The Grimoire is a piece of imaginative genius that bedazzles from the moment Kara falls into the land of Ourea. – Nikki Jefford, author of the Spellbound Trilogy

Now an international Amazon bestseller. Fans of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and Eragon will enjoy this contemporary remix of the classic epic fantasy genre.

—————-

Kara Magari is about to discover a beautiful world full of terrifying things: Ourea.

Kara, a college student still reeling from her mother’s recent death, has no idea the hidden world of Ourea even exists until a freak storm traps her in a sunken library. With nothing to do, she opens an ancient book of magic called the Grimoire and unwittingly becomes its master, which means Kara now wields the cursed book’s untamed power. Discovered by Ourea’s royalty, she becomes an unwilling pawn in a generations-old conflict – a war intensified by her arrival. In this world of chilling creatures and betrayal, Kara shouldn’t trust anyone… but she’s being hunted and can’t survive on her own. She drops her guard when Braeden, a native soldier with a dark secret, vows to keep her safe. And though she doesn’t know it, her growing attraction to him may just be her undoing.

For twelve years, Braeden Drakonin has lived a lie. The Grimoire is his one chance at redemption, and it lands in his lap when Kara Magari comes into his life. Though he begins to care for this human girl, there is something he wants more. He wants the Grimoire.

If you want to get me going then start talking to me about cruelty to animals

What makes you angry?

Cruelty.

What’s your most embarrassing moment of your life?

If I tell you then I would be compounding the moment, wouldn’t I? LOL. If someone tells you their most embarrassing moment then that is probably not their most embarrassing moment.

Are you a city slicker or a country lover?

Without any doubt – country lover

How do you think people perceive writers?

It used to be slightly dotty recluses with a burning ambition to write, but things have changed since Amazon came along. Now authors seem to be wily marketers who can also write.

What’s your next project?

Part 3 of The Billionaire Banker series – Besotted.

What would you love to produce in your life?

Something uplifting.

What’s the reason for your life? Have you figured out your reason for being here yet?

No. The ultimate pointlessness of life has never ceased to sadden me.

How do you feel about self-publishing?

I benefit from it so it is hard to be critical but in the wake of every great thing is the seed of its own destruction.

Do you know your neighbors?

Yup.

Beyond the seductive power of immense wealth lies… Dark Secrets

Devastatingly handsome billionaire, Blake Law Barrington was Lana Blooms first and only love. From the moment they touched his power was overwhelming. Their arrangement quickly developed into a passionate romance that captivated her heart and took her on an incredible sexual journey she never wanted to end.

The future together looked bright until Lana made a terrible mistake. So, she did the only thing she could… she ran.

Away from her incredible life, away from the man of her dreams, but she should have known a man such as Blake Law Barrington was impossible to escape. Now, he’s back in her life and determined that she should taste the bitterness of his pain.

Shocked at how rough the sex has become and humiliated that she is actually participating so willingly in her punishment, she despairs if she will ever feel the warmth of his touch–the solidity of his trust again? And even if she can win his trust, loyalties are yet to be decided, and secrets to be revealed–secrets that will test them both to their limits.

Will Lana be able to tear down the walls that surround Blake’s heart, and break him free of the brutal power of immense wealth?

Can Blake hold on to Lana’s heart when she discovers the enormity of the dark secrets that inhabit the Barrington family?

Lana has always believed that love conquers all. She is about to test that belief…

Some books are good and then others WOW you like never before, this book falls in the latter category. McCauley’s writing style was able to capture every emotion from each character and left you feeling the same things they were feeling.

With every page turn, you inched closer to the conclusion, never giving up hope that Tray’s life would take a turn for the better. Despite his weaknesses, Tray is a gripping personality likened to Nicholas Cage / John Travolta in Face Off.

McCauley offers detailed settings, descriptions of what is happening to the point of being harrowing and yet moving. I could hardly put this book down as the plot and strong characters came to life. I especially liked the dialogue and the snarky tone that some of the characters had like, “when you are Colombian you lose a lot of your family.”

Despite getting a sometimes violent look at the darker side of humanity, this book took me in from the very first page. I highly recommend this book with as many stars as I can give it and I’ll be looking out for more books by McCauley.

Disclosure – As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.

Haunted by memories of his massacred settlement, sixteen-year-old Weaver seeks cover in a hidden refuge among the remains of a ruined city. In the midst of building a new life, Weaver discovers that he has the amazing power to cast his dreams into reality. Convinced it’s just an anomaly, Weaver ignores it. That is until he learns of a mysterious man who shares the ability, and uses his power to bring nightmares into existence and wage war on the world. The peaceful life Weaver hoped for begins to unravel as waves of chaos begin to break loose about him. In a race against time, Weaver must learn to accept his role as a dream caster and master his new power, before his new home is destroyed and humanity is pushed to the brink of extinction.

From fantasy author Josh VanBrakle comes an epic new trilogy of friendship, betrayal, and explosive magic. Lefthanded teenager Iren Saitosan must uncover a forgotten history, confront monsters inspired by Japanese mythology, and master a serpentine dragon imprisoned inside a katana to stop a revenge one thousand years in the making.

Lodian culture declares lefthanded people dangerous and devil-spawned, and for Iren, the kingdom’s only known Left, that’s meant a life of social isolation. To pass the time and get a little attention, he plays pranks on the residents of Haldessa Castle. It’s harmless fun, until one of his stunts nearly kills Lodia’s charismatic heir to the throne. Now to avoid execution for his crime, Iren must join a covert team and assassinate a bandit lord. It’s a suicide mission, and Iren’s chances aren’t helped when he learns that his new katana contains a dragon’s spirit, one with a magic so powerful it can sink continents and transform Iren into a raging beast.

Adding to his problems, someone on Iren’s team is plotting treason. When a former ally launches a brutal plan to avenge the Lefts, Iren finds himself trapped between competing loyalties. He needs to figure out who – and how – to trust, and the fates of two nations depend on his choice.

Not everyone can write anywhere under any circumstances. Creating an inspirational work area is a great way to help keep the words flowing. What makes for an inspirational workspace?

It’s a personal thing.

Creating a great workspace requires that you have a good understanding about what makes you tick. What calms you down? What puts you in the mood to create? Creating an inspirational workspace is the art of finding what inspires you, and submersing yourself in those things.

Before you can do that, there are some things you’ll want to do.

Clean Your Desk

Some people thrive on chaos and clutter, but you can’t create your inspirational workspace if you can’t access what you’re trying to work with. Clean your desk. If you’re a chaotic person with an equally chaotic desk, this may take you a couple of hours. Go to the extremes. Clean everything, scrub the desk down, and take everything that was cluttering your desk and put it in a box.

Find Your Basic Minimums

What do you need in your workspace? Think about the supplies you use to write with. Take them out of the box and set them on your desk. These are your primary writing materials and workspace necessities. These are the absolute must have items in your writing arsenal. This might include your computer speakers, your monitor(s), your keyboard, your mouse, a pen (or a hundred pens), paper, and your organizational tools.

Organize Your Stuff

Take those basic minimums and place them in your workspace. Put them in easy-to-reach places. Make it look like you’d naturally work, even if that means a chaotic mess on your desk. But, organize your minimums on your desk.

Add Your Décor

An inspirational workspace is a mix of having the basic minimums and items that make you want to write. For example, if you love artwork, include a picture of the art you love – something that sings to you on an inspirational level. Like geology? Have rock crystals scattered over your desk. Are you inspired by books? Get shelves installed around your desk and transform your workspace into a miniature library. Décor is a great way to turn a blank workspace into an inspirational one. Make your space something that you love.

Your space needs to become an expression of your personality, your likes, and your inspirations.

Get a Comfortable Chair

Most people overlook the chair component of a workspace. You really need to have a comfortable chair that lets you work without straining your body. Comfort is a key part of being able to work without interruption.

Switch Things Up

Every now and then, switch up your desk. Seeing the same old things all of the time doesn’t often inspire someone all of the time. Don’t be afraid to go back to square one, find your minimums, and explore your inspirations again. Changing things up can be an easy way to reignite your inspirations.

Write

This may sound a little crazy, but writing in a space frequently can make that space inspirational. Once you’re used to working in a space, this space becomes yours. It becomes easier to be creative in a space where you’re always creative.

When you’re building your inspirational workspace, make sure it is a place you can realistically work. This will make a huge difference in how productive you and how much you enjoy working in your space.

Kalen’s throne is his saddle, his crown is the dirt on his brow, and his right to rule is sealed in the blood that stains his hand. Few know the truth about the one-armed Rift King, and he prefers it that way. When people get too close to him, they either betray him or die. The Rift he rules cares nothing for the weak. More often than not, even the strong fail to survive.

When he’s abducted, his disappearance threatens to destroy his home, his people, and start a hopeless and bloody war. There are many who desire his death, and few who hope for his survival. With peace in the Six Kingdoms quickly crumbling, it falls on him to try to stop the conflict swiftly taking the entire continent by storm.

But something even more terrifying than the machinations of men has returned to the lands: The skreed. They haven’t been seen for a thousand years, and even the true power of the Rift King might not be enough to save his people — and the world — from destruction.

Superhuman Nature is Brandon Overall’s first novel. It was written and published during his first deployment to Afghanistan as a 2nd Lieutenant in late 2013.

Neil Hitchens was a senior ROTC Cadet in college. He was just weeks away from graduating and becoming an Officer in the United States Army, until a strange dream set off a chain of events that would twist his life into something he could have never prepared for.

In the days following his dream, several strange happenings occurred that he began to suspect were the result of his own actions. Before long, he discovered that he had the ability to control the world around him with his mind.

What started out as an unpredictable ability quickly evolved into an extraordinary power that had the capacity to change the world. It didn’t take long for the government to find out what Neil could do.

They knew having such limitless potential on the side of the US Military could give them limitless political influence, and they would stop at nothing to get Neil to do their bidding. They would find out what happens when you back a dangerous animal into a corner.

Neil spent his whole life believing he would amount to greatness, but he never expected how greatness could corrupt even the most innocent of minds.